First impressions: Apple’s iPhone 4S

The first thing that strikes you about Apple’s latest smartphone is how it is virtually indistinguishable from its previous model. The iPhone 4S is a dead ringer on the outside for the iPhone 4.

But once you start using it, the differences are clear, and in some cases dramatic. It’s noticeably faster overall, and the Safari Web browser is jaw-dropping in its speed.

The much-vaunted Siri is interesting, but not quite as impressive as I’d hoped. While the feature – which combines voice recognition with artificial intelligence in to a “digital assistant” – is interesting and has potential, I can see why Apple labels it a “beta.”

I got the opportunity to play with a black, 16-gigabyte iPhone 4S for a couple of hours this afternoon. While that can’t compare to using it day-to-day, I got a good feel for the differences between it and the iPhone 4, which I use now.

Here are some initial thoughts:

• The iPhone 4S has the same A5 processor, developed by Apple, as the iPad 2. As a result, it’s more responsive than the iPhone 4, something you notice almost from the start. Apps open quickly, and tasks are performed almost instantly.

For example, iPhone 4 owners know that the Maps application can take some time to draw a calculated route, even after getting the data it needs from the network. Here, routing happens almost immediately.

• The phone’s impressive performance is overshadowed by that of the mobile Safari Web browser, which simply blew me away. iPhone 4 and 3GS owners know that the Safari can be balky, particularly as pages are still loading, and if they have lots of images and javascript.

The 4S’s browser scrolls through these pages very smoothly, more like a desktop than a mobile browser. Note that this same browser is included in the iOS 5 upgrade available to iPhone 3GS and 4 owners, and it’s also faster on those phones . . . but not like this. Whoa.

I ran a Sunspider test on my iPhone 4 and the 4S. The iPhone 4 came in with a result of 3336, while the 4S clocked in at 2206 (smaller is better).

• The 8 megapixel camera yields impressive images, though I didn’t have time to test it in all kinds of lighting conditions. You can see the difference in the two shots of this purse below. The one on the left is from my iPhone 4, the right is from the 4S. The 4S image has more detail, though I think the color is a little truer in the iPhone 4 image.

• I linked the iPhone 4S to the iCloud account I’d set up with my iPhone 4, iPad and Macs. When I did, all my contacts and browser bookmarks appeared on the 4S, without me having to do anything. When I took photos on the 4S, theyt quickly appeared in the Photo Roll on my iPhone 4.

What was particularly interesting was how iCloud helped with messaging. I sent my lovely wife a few text messages using Siri on the 4S, and when I looked in my Messages app on my iPhone 4, those text messages – along with her replies – were there, too.

Bonus: They also showed up in the new iOS 5 Messages app on my iPad.

• Because this was an AT&T iPhone 4S, I was anxious to see how well it did on the telco’s HSPA+ network. Apple and AT&T claim it’s twice as fast as traditional 3G phones, but I didn’t see that. Data connections just outside the Chronicle downtown were about what I’d expect for 3G – around 2.6 Mbps down and just under 1 Mbps up. I walked a block away and get slightly better download speeds – about 3.5 Mbps – but nowhere near the 14-Mbps the 4S is allegedly capable of.

I hope to try another 4S around town in the future to see what kind of speeds I get.

• And then there’s Siri. I really had high hopes for this feature, and while I won’t say they were dashed, it’s obvious this is a work in progress.

Siri worked quite well when I stuck to very basic tasks. I could tell it to send a text message, look for restaurants, find movie theaters, check the weather. Siri understands context, so if you ask for more information without being specific, it presumes what you mean from your previous queries and answers accordingly.

What can throw Siri, though, is if you shift gears. For example, I asked for directions to a location in Houston, and it gave me that. I then asked Siri “how far away is the Andromeda galaxy?”, hoping to see its connection to the Wolfram-Alpha knowledge engine. However, because I’d just asked about street directions, Siri told me how to get to something called Andromeda nearby.

The Andromeda I meant, of course, is much farther than Harwin Drive . . .

Siri would be great for hands-free uses in the car – sending and receiving texts, playing music, getting directions. But Apple’s clearly got more work to do.

Before I tried the iPhone 4S today, I was considering buying one, just for Siri. But using it brought me down to earth. I’ll stick with my iPhone 4 for now, and figure Siri will be ready for me with next year’s iPhone 5.

I’m a little surprised people are criticizing the new iPhone for screen size. To me, the current size is perfect for a one-handed swipe. Any larger screen might require two hands for swiping. And while I understand men might like a larger screen, many women have smaller hands and so Apple is clearly thinking this size is appropriate to most of the population who would buy their product. I mean, if you want a bigger screen, maybe you don’t want a phone at all. Maybe you want a tablet.

The comment about Siri is kind of dumb. Siri is an Artificial Intelligence voice recognition software, not a Universal Intelligence. It’s not going to know “everything”. Just because it didn’t know Adromeda Galaxy, it doesn’t mean it’s not great. It’s not going to know how dirty your underwear is either. The point is, the main function of Siri is for phone use. Anything else it can figure out is a bonus.

Scott, note the reference to Wolfram-Alpha. In other tests, Siri will link to that site for information that involves computation or bits of knowledge. The point is not that it didn’t know what Andromeda was, but rather that its context feature worked against it. It outsmarted itself, so to speak.

I suspect the focus is on providing useful answers to questions for people, not helping out with trivial pursuits. It is not like you are going to have an appointment in the Andromeda galaxy. The driving directions would be interesting to say the least. One, raise a few trillion dollars, then build spaceship….

I think a 3GS to 4S is a worthwhile jump. You are going to have a much faster phone with improved camera along with other features. To me, the cutoff for upgrade is if you already have a I4, although I’d probably still be tempted to upgrade if the price was right.

I’m not even sure why you would make this comment. Obviously you’re considering it enough to read the reviews. I can’t see anyone wasting time with reviews of something they have no interest in. As in anything, everyone wants the best for their money. I’m constantly on the move and needing to get resources. I upgraded originally from the Palm Treo to the 3Gs & have played with dozens of iPhone so called “Competitors” and it’s obvious how superior they are. I have 45 days until my upgrade status and though I again will buy the 32gig and spend $299 (which is hard to swallow at the time) it takes about a week to see just how much better it is

Apple sets the tone for technology and always has… just accept it, take the free 3Gs for a spin and toss your ambulance chasing flip phone…

“$400 a pop for technology that will be obsolete in six months”
Why would you expect anyone with that nickname (1981 El Camino?) to embrace updating a 2 year old phone when his ride and all the technological wizardry contained therein is itself 30 years old?

Yawn… People are going to buy this phone in droves ONLY because it is an iPhone..or from Apple. Even worse, there are tons buying simply in honor of Steve Jobs. The guy did some good things, and did some really bad things too. He’s not a god. I think the Apple Fanboyism is pathetic… Among other reason, no wonder this country is in shambles..

Our country is in a shambles because an American company devised, designed and programmed a revolutionary device that turned a mobile phone into a handheld computer? Then sold a gazillion of them, and rather than sit around counting their profits continues to improve it. That actually sounds exactly like what our country should be about.

Sorry, but I agree with Scott. you test of Siri’s capabilities are unrealistic. Its designed to answer simple phone related questions. It “context” feature functioned exactly as it should given the day to day expectations of most users.

Good grief you folks sure do take yourselves seriously. I just moved to the 4S from an 8GB 3G which I had for three year and from which I was totally out of memory. I’m thrilled with the 4S and am having fun with it. Lighten up! Live and let live already!

You are a huge optimist if you think voice recognition artificial intelligence will be perfected in the iphone 5. They have been working on that for decades and we are getting closer, but it will probably be decades more before we have that kind of Star Trek Technology anything close to perfect.

Still the iphone 4S is a nice piece of hardware and I’m not trying to be overly critical. Just pointing out the state of the art is not there for voice recognition or artificial intelligence, so to expect it to first appear in an Apple phone is a bit unrealistic.

I agree with this. I remember reading an article a few years ago about the progress that had been made in voice recognition. Over the last 20 years, voice recognition has come a long way, to where it’s maybe 95% accurate. But it’s that 5% that’s the problem. It can’t understand one out of every twenty words. Why? Not because it’s hearing it wrong, but because the computer doesn’t have any real understanding of what’s being said. It’s the larger context that allows humans to understand what they’re hearing. So while Siri is obviously a step forward, I think we’re a long way from computers having the intelligence to grasp the actual meaning of human speech.

SIRI is truly awesome and works very well. To really appreciate it you should review Apple’s documentation. It is linked to several databases including Yelp for restaurants, weather, and Wolfram for lots of information. Check out the video on Wolfram’s website to understand the capabilities of that service. http://www.wolframalpha.com/screencast/introducingwolframalpha.html

There is a slight learning curve. You can ask questions like: “How far is Carson City, Nevada from my present location?” and it will give a detailed answer. It can also do math. Ask it how many ounces in 750 grams and it will reply promptly and accurately. You can also ask it to remind you to check your tire pressure when you leave home on Monday (it knows the GPS gps location of your home).

You can’t ask SIRI questions which don’t have answers in any of it’s linked databases. Don’t bother asking what the score of the Texans vs. Ravens game will be next Sunday or what the winning lottery ticket will be tomorrow. It can tell you what Apple’s stock price was at the close today but it doesn’t know what tomorrow’s close will be.

Apple has said that they plan to add more databases to SIRI in the future. That means it will be even better over time. I think you’ll eventually be able to ask ‘how many calories in an 8 ounce filet mignon.’

When you ask a question that stumps SIRI, she offers to do a web search. For example, you might ask: “Please provide a recipe fopasta with clams?” SIRI isn’t linked to a recipe database but it will find recipes for you on the web.

Thanks for the review. I have a I4 and you have convinced me to hold off until the next release. The improved processor makes it tempting but not at the expense of pricing without a subsidy. I’m hopefully the next Iphone will have LTE network capability.

I’m looking forward to upgrading from a 3GS to 4S. As many have noted 4 to 4S upgrade is pointless. I’m actually happy that Apple didn’t come out with a new body design. Looking at all the other smartphones, it seems that the trend is to make bigger phones for the bigger screens. I like my phones small. I don’t want brick-size cell phones again.

Why would it be OK to use the phone,even hands free, while driving? The phone ought to be in a place where it can’t be used, with the blue tooth turned off. Keep your eyes and concentration on the road. I am getting tired of this incessant need to play with toys while driving. Hang up and drive. If you want music, set up a play list and start it before you drive off, or turn on the radio.

Folks, you don’t have to answer the phone every time it rings. You don’t have to talk to Mom, or Sis, or your spouse, or whoever right this minute – they can wait.

I generally agree with you, but why is hands-free use of a phone different than talking to someone in the car? What needs to be avoided is taking eyes off the road and hands off the steering wheel. People have been changing stations on the car radio for 70 years. I think that’s more dangerous than using a phone hands-free.

I upgraded from the 4 to the 4s. It’s better, but not revolutionary. It’s faster and the camera functionality is much improved. I sold my 4 on Gazelle for more than the upgrade cost me so it has all worked out.